Jazz-Pacers Preview

Posted Mar 02 2014 1:10AM

It's not the Indiana Pacers' fault their four-game win streak has come against some of the NBA's worst teams.

The league's best team, however, hasn't found things easy in its last two games against lesser competition as it gets ready for another such matchup Sunday night at home against the Utah Jazz.

Indiana (45-13) continues to lead Miami by two games in the race for the Eastern Conference's top seed. Its latest win streak has featured two games against Milwaukee and one apiece against the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston.

The Pacers may have some cause for concern as they try to improve to 9-7 in the second half of back-to-back games. They won 101-96 over the Bucks on Thursday before trailing for a good portion of the fourth quarter in Saturday's 102-97 road victory against the Celtics.

Paul George came through with 10 of Indiana's last 12 points in Boston.

"I missed too many easy shots (early) and I told myself when it comes back around that I have to make my shots," said George, who ended with 25. "So I just locked in my focus and my teammates found me."

The Pacers were without George Hill, who bruised his shoulder Thursday. C.J. Watson started in his place and had seven points.

The perimeter player who had more of an impact was Evan Turner, who scored 17 off the bench in his third game with Indiana since being acquired Feb. 20 from Philadelphia.

"Evan Turner gave us a big lift throughout the whole game," coach Frank Vogel said, "but, in particular, down the stretch."

Indiana is limiting opponents to an NBA-best 41.4 percent shooting and held Utah to 38.2 percent after halftime and 38 second-half points in a 95-86 victory on Dec. 4.

The Jazz (21-37) are looking to bounce back from a rough opener to their six-game trip, a 99-79 loss to Cleveland on Friday. They shot 35.0 percent for their third-worst effort of the season.

"It's the road," coach Tyrone Corbin said. "You've got to find out how to be ready every night. That's another thing we're still learning as we try to bring this young bunch along."

Utah's leading scorer is fourth-year forward Gordon Hayward, who is averaging a career-high 15.9 points. Hayward is an Indiana native who played in Indianapolis in college as he helped lead Butler to the first of two straight NCAA title game appearances in 2010.

Hayward, who has totaled 21 points in three games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse with the Jazz, will look to fare better after averaging 12.2 points and shooting 34.1 percent in 12 games in February. He averaged 17.0 points on 41.5 percent shooting prior to last month.

"Gordon is going to keep finding his way," Corbin said. "He's making the right plays. Gordon knows we need him to play well to have a chance on the road."

Utah averages 94.8 points for the third-worst mark in the NBA and is last in the NBA with 13.2 points per game off turnovers.

The Jazz average 93.70 possessions per 48 minutes entering Saturday's play for one of the league's worst figures and getting stuck in half-court sets against the defensive-minded Pacers would clearly hamper their chances.

Copyright 2014 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Pacers beat Jazz 94-91, win fifth straight

Posted Mar 02 2014 9:45PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Indiana Pacers played just well enough to beat an inferior opponent, which has been the way most of their five-game win streak has gone.

David West scored 25 points, Paul George added 22, and the Pacers beat the Utah Jazz 94-91 on Sunday night.

Indianapolis native Gordon Hayward had 21 points and Derrick Favors scored 17 for the Jazz, nine of them in the first eight minutes as Utah opened a 14-4 lead.

A dunk from Favors cut the Pacers' lead to 89-86 with a minute left to play, and West missed a jumper to give Utah a chance to tie with 35 seconds remaining. Hayward cut the Indiana lead to one, but Lance Stephenson sank two free throws to seal the win.

"This was a mental toughness win," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "I thought we played with extraordinary effort for four quarters."

The Jazz made things interesting in the game's fourth period thanks to Hayward, who had 10 of his 21 points in the final 15 minutes. His final five points came in the final minutes.

Ian Mahinmi came off the bench to score nine points for the Pacers and provide key minutes, as Roy Hibbert struggled to contain Favors.

Utah came out of halftime to score eight unanswered points and force Indiana to call an early timeout. The Pacers retook the lead when Mahinmi was fouled on a layup. Mahinmi made the free throw to put Indiana up 60-58.

"I've pretty solid on defense all season long," Mahinmi said. "My shot blocking has been up. My timing is good."

CJ Watson, starting for the injured George Hill, scored 13 points for the Pacers. Hill sat out his second straight game with a bruised shoulder.

After coming off the bench to score 17 in a win over Boston a night earlier, Evan Turner struggled in his reserve role. Turner, acquired from Philadelphia on Feb. 20, scored eight points and shot 2 of 9 in 20 minutes.

But the Pacers got a boost from Mahinmi and Watson to pull out another win against an opponent they might have easily beaten earlier in the season. After two close tilts against Milwaukee and a come-from-behind victory in Boston on Saturday night, Indiana survived a scare against one of the West's worst teams.

But all night long, Utah buckled under pressure from one of the NBA's best defensive teams. The Jazz finished with 18 turnovers, which led to 24 points for Indiana.

George went down hard after being fouled on a drive to the basket late in the third quarter. George slammed to the floor and appeared to hit his head, but remained in the game to sink both free throws.

Hayward rebounded from a slow start to put together one of his best games since January. In his fourth time playing in his native city, he shot 8 of 15 from the field after being held scoreless until the beginning of the second period. He scored seven straight points in the third quarter, keeping the Jazz in the game while the rest of the offense sputtered.

"I thought I was quiet in the first half, but I was proud of the way we came back and fought against a team with a real good record, especially here at home," Hayward said.

Hayward, who led Butler to an NCAA championship game appearance in 2010, averaged 12.2 points on 34.1 shooting in 12 games in February. He came into the game having scored only 21 points in four games in Banker's Life Fieldhouse.

Copyright 2014 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Pacers 94, Jazz 91

THE FACT: Indiana is 5-0 with C.J. Watson filling in as the starting point guard.

THE LEAD: The wins aren't coming easily for the Pacers but they are coming. Indiana extended its winning streak to five games -- all against sub-.500 opponents -- with a 94-91 nail-biter over the visiting Utah Jazz before a sellout crowd of 18,165 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Though the Pacers led most of the second half, they could not the Jazz away and had to hang on as Gordon Hayward rimmed out what would've been a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer. David West led Indiana (46-13) with 25 points, while Paul George survived a scary fall to score 22. Hayward led Utah (21-38) with 21 points.

QUOTABLE: "We started off so slow, I felt like I needed to be a little more aggressive. Same thing in the third quarter. But I thought our team just competed hard enough to win a tough, tough game. They're a young, feisty and up-and-coming team. I thought we handled the challenge." -- West

THE STAT: The Pacers have five winning streaks of at least five games this season, their most since 2003-04.

TURNING POINT: Trailing by one after a back-and-forth first half, the Pacers came out and missed their first seven shots and promptly lost center Roy Hibbert to foul trouble in the opening four minutes of the third period, and Utah pushed its lead to 58-52. But Watson hit a pair of 3-pointers sandwiching a three-point play by Ian Mahinmi in a quick 11-point burst that put the Pacers up 63-58 and they would not relinquish the lead again. Indiana led 92-88 after free throws by Evan Turner with 6.7 seconds left but Hayward hit a quick three to make it a one-point game. After Lance Stephenson made a pair, Hayward hustled the ball upcourt and managed a decent look from 26 feet but couldn't convert.

QUOTABLE II: "This was a tough game. We're going to get every team's best. It seems like that's what we're getting. ... A lot of teams, they haven't been hot, and they play against us and every shot they shoot is going in. I think it's good for us though. We have to learn how to win games like these. It's good that we're going through this." -- George

HOT: West shot 11-for-17, while Watson was 5-for-8 and Mahinmi 3-for-4 for Indiana. ... Utah's starters combined to shoot .564.

NOT: Hibbert shot 1-for-9 and had five fouls in 19:13. ... Turner shot 2-for-9 in his fourth game with the Pacers, and Luis Scola shot 2-for-6.

QUOTABLE III: "I thought I was quiet in the first half but I was proud of the way we fought against a team with a real good record, especially here at home. I feel like I'm getting back to where I know I can be. I've been slumping a little bit the last couple of weeks, but I feel like I'm starting to shoot the ball better these last few games." -- Hayward

NOTABLE: Derrick Favors had 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for the Jazz, while Trey Burke scored 16 with five assists and four rebounds. Enes Kanter had 12 points and seven boards off the bench, while Alec Burks had 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. ... Watson finished with 13 points, five assists and three steals, while Stephenson had 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Mahinmi filled in nicely for the foul-plagued Hibbert and produced nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks. ... Two Pacers took scary falls. George landed hard on his back when fouled on a dunk attempt in the third quarter, and Mahinmi fell on his left hip midway through the fourth. Both remained in the game but were sore afterwards. ... Stephenson was hit with his 11th technical foul of the season, third in the league, while George picked up his sixth. ... Indiana swept the season series for the first time since 2005-06. ... George Hill missed his second game in a row with a bruised left shoulder but is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday. ... Though listed as a game-time decision due to a left ankle sprain from Saturday's practice, Utah forward Jeremy Evans played nearly 20 minutes off the bench, producing four points and eight rebounds.